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Okay I still have plantar fasciitis (PF) in my left foot but I'm finally seeing progress again. This is since the disaster in earlier this year in January when I tried running a few miles (2 to 4) per my doctor's okay after having it immobilized in a cast for a month (in October'09) followed by three months of physical therapy and a cortisone shot (November thru December'09). I ended up with a calcaneal contusion (bone bruise in my heel) and plantar fasciitis all over again. It has taken me almost a year to get back to where I was in the recovery process last December. Since I started getting the foot treated by chiropractor once a week in mid-October this year, I'm finally starting to feel better. If you are suffering from plantar fasciitis, I have a lot of empathy for you. I've had to deal with this running injury off and on since December 2008. Finally, it's starting to go away. Here is what is working for me...

Plantar Fasciitis Recovery Treatments That Seem to Be Working –Finally:

1. Sleep with my new comfortable Strassburg Sock night splint on my PF foot; By keeping the foot stretched in a dorsaflexed position, it allows the damaged fascia tendons to heal in a stretched position that prevents re-tearing everytime my arch flexes down when I walk or run (Earlier this year I wore the Swede-O Thermoskin night splint with good results but had to stop after a bike accident since its thick ankle strap irritated the road rash on my left ankle) - every night
2. Stretch the Achille's tendon every day (and calves and hamstrings) for 30 seconds each day- 1x/day
3. Core and strength training the upper and lower body to develop better posture and fitness- 2x/week
4. Foot strength training: Trying to strengthen the atrophied and weak affected PF foot with more walking and toe-towel pull exercises (gently and without pain)- 2x/week
5. Increase circulation with deep tissue massage, ultrasound or rolling foot on tennis ball- 1x/day
6. Wear good shoes: I wear my regular shoes with custom orthotics or the anatomically designed comfortable Kuru shoes* or stylish FitFlops (Both of these footwear companies make shoes that come with anatomically supportive arch supports and heel pads, and they are, honestly, the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn.* ) I had to get rid of all my sandals and flip flops that didn't have arch supports.:(
7. Cardio workouts (swim, do the elliptical machine or ride my road bike) - 2x/week
8. Good chiropractic therapy by a sports injury specialist at Wilson Chiropractic Clinic in Ventura. This place was recommended to me by someone who had plantar fasciitis and recovered from it (and so far it's working for me and I pay the usual cost for treatment) - 1x/week
9. Think positive thoughts (thinking positively lowers one's stress hormone levels which enables healing)
10. Eat highly nutritious foods: A fresh organic fruit smoothie on most mornings followed by a low-processed carbohydrate diet mostly nutrition-rich whole foods (fruits, vegetables, dairy and nuts)  in meals I prepare for my family at home from our local grocery store and CSA farm basket from Ojai

Full disclosure: Kuru Shoes sent me a pair of their Halcyon model in October to review on this blog. I wore them at our kids cross-country meets for a few weekends and they were more comfortable on my feet than my old running shoes with my custom orthotics. I asked a few parent friends what they thought:

"They look funky...With shoes I don't care what they look like. It's all about comfort for me." ~ Physician and mother of two very speedy little girls on the cross-country team.

"Well, they're earthy looking. I'm not a real earthy person." ~ Local race director and multisport retail store owner

"They're, uh, kind of funny looking. But I like 'em!" ~ Local catering business owner

So, the key is doing something every day to bring back my happy runner feet. After spending hundreds of dollars on medical care for this running injury, it's been back to the basics for recovery: deep tissue work to break up the scare tissue that keeps causing me heel pain, stretching, wearing a night splint, ice and elevation, keeping the arch supported in Good Shoes and cross-training. Sadly, I can't walk around barefoot anymore without re-injuring my foot. And running barefoot or in minimal shoes--at least in the near future-- is out of the question. But I don't care. I would wear clown shoes if I thought it would help me run again...Really!

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